Red Wings Rumors: Latest Free-Agent Updates and Trade Chatter

The Red Wings didn't land any new players during the first two days of free agency, but general manager Ken Holland managed to find a way to re-sign defenseman Kyle Quincey and young forward Riley Sheahan.

The Wings made a pitch for Matt Niskanen and Dan Boyle, but they decided to sign elsewhere. However, the signing of Quincey helped to keep the core of the defense together.

Here's a look at Detroit Red Wings moves thus far in free agency, beginning with the most recent.

The Red Wings are still in the hunt for a defenseman today, but you can cross Christian Ehrhoff off of their list according to Ansar Khan of MLive.com:

The Red Wings have been told they're on the short lists for both Matt Niskanen and Dan Boyle, the top right-handed shooting defensemen available. They're no longer in the running for the left-handed shooting Christian Ehrhoff, who is seeking a five-year deal, two more years than the Red Wings are willing to give.

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Original Text

Few teams in the NHL had a more interesting 2013-14 campaign than the Detroit Red Wings. Pegged as a squad capable of competing with the top teams in the Eastern Conference, a staggering list of injuries prevented Detroit from ever getting out of the wild-card race.

The playoff streak remained intact, thanks in large part to the heroics of Gustav Nyquist. After redesigning the top-six forward group via free agency last season only to watch Stephen Weiss post all of four points, general manager Ken Holland could have a different approach to early July this time around.

According to CapGeek.com, the Red Wings have around $14 million to play with this summer, though only 18 players are locked into contracts for next season. Key free agents include Daniel Alfredsson and Kyle Quincey, while restricted free agents Riley Sheahan, Tomas Tatar and Danny DeKeyser are also in need of new deals.

Looking at that slate of names, it's tough to imagine Holland having much wiggle room to add a big-name free agent. There's always the possibility of a cap-clearing trade, but it's tough to send money away without taking any back in the NHL right now.

Barring any moves, the Red Wings would need to get creative to make a splash in 2014 that is in anyway similar to what went down in 2013.